The invention relates to an in vitro method for producing spontaneously contracting fish cell aggregates, to the fish cell aggregates obtained thereby, and to the use thereof, in particular for testing biological active substances and pharmaceuticals.
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most common causes of death, and a more successful treatment and prevention of these diseases is the objective of substantial investments and research efforts. Besides improved implantation and transplantation methods, also by using new synthetic or semi-synthetic organs or organ components, such as blood vessels, bypasses, heart valves, etc., the primary approach is the development of new pharmaceuticals which have a direct or indirect effect on the cardiac activity and specifically influence the heart muscle cells or other heart cells, for example. Traditionally, animal experiments are conducted to test such active substances.
However, both for ethical and cost reasons, the aim is to keep the number of animal experiments in pharmaceutical tests as low as possible and to perform at least the first test stage in vitro with cells or cell cultures.
To this end, for example, cell cultures of adult human cardiac cells, in particular cardiomyocytes, or of corresponding cells from other mammal species, e.g. pigs, hitherto had to be used. However, these cells typically cannot be cultivated or do not behave like cells in a natural tissue (e.g., they do not form any contracting or contractible cell aggregates or dedifferentiate in the cell culture). Other non-human cells are different from the human cells with regard to their behavior and their properties. Cardiomyocytes from mice or rats for example have ion channels which differ from those of the corresponding human cells.
In light of this, the object of the invention is the provision of improved cell cultures and in vitro systems for testing biological active substances and pharmaceuticals which in general have an effect on the cardiac activity and specifically have an effect on heart muscle cells or other heart cells wherein the cell cultures and test systems should reflect the behavior and properties of human heart cells in a natural tissue better than previous in vitro systems and even many animal models.
This object is solved by the method for producing the spontaneously contracting cell aggregates according to the invention, the material compositions and cell cultures containing these spontaneously contracting cell aggregates according to the invention and the use of these cell aggregates according to the invention.